Purity
by Sauce XIV
Summary: Malice had been betrayed. Now she is given a second chance at life. Malice's POV, ExM in MUCH LATER chapters. 71107: I give up. HIATUS.
1. Betrayed

Purity

By Sauce XIV

Summary: Malice had been betrayed. Now she is given a second chance at life. Malice's POV

Disclaimer: I do not own Riviera: The Promised Land, its storyline, characters, or pretty much anything. However, I do own this story, and, unless otherwise noted, the content of this story.

Author's Note: Chapter One is probably going to be the least original chapter in the story, because basically I'm just taking events from the game and throwing dialogue and descriptives into it. However, there is a good reason I'm doing this and that is to set up the storyline of Malice getting betrayed first, then a second chance at life and then the twenty-some chapters following it. On a side note, any innaccuray in regarding the events of this chapter is solely my fault, because I haven't played this game in awhile.

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Chapter One: Betrayed

Traitor. That was the only insult that fit. Or in _his_ case, a bug that just won't die. Why is this Angel being led astray by the sprites? Why does he continue to defy the will of the Gods?

These were questions I wouldn't get to know the answers to.

I simply stared as the brunette Angel followed by his band of sprite followers entered the Maze of Shadows. I would have flew down and attacked him and his companions had I not been wounded in the last time we fought. That Angel, though he is either being betrayed by the sprites or betraying Asgard, is an extremely good fighter. But that's to be expected, because he is a Grim Angel. I merely wasn't expecting him to be that hard to kill, though. He would be dead by now had not Ledah interfered. Why did that blonde sacrifice his own life to save the traitor? He knew what we were doing was the will of the Gods, so why?

The wound that I received from the traitor's bolt-like Diviner, Einherjar, had not fully healed. Wounds from Angelic weapons such as Diviners take a longer time to heal. It hadn't even fully closed, actually.

Tuning myself back to reality, it appeared that I had lost sight of the brunette Angel and his entourage, so I flew deeper into the Maze of Shadows, giving chase at a leisurely pace. After all, I could fly, and the only one in _his_ group that could fly was that wretched Arc, who _should _have died back in Lacrima. Had the traitor not been there, she would have died, and I would have wiped out an entire race of sprites. _It was all for Hector_ I would tell myself. I hadn't really been fond of killing as of late, as it's not really fun when you have to kill thousands upon thousands in a short period of time, just for the sake of someone you don't exactly know, except he is one of the seven Magi of Asgard.

It was all for the will of the Gods. That much I know.

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"Ein," I started as I caught up to the brunette and his followers. " Why is it you dare to defile the will of the Gods?"

I then swiftly took in the enviroment, knowing that a fight was to be sure. Ein wasn't one to be swayed by my questioning. We were in a section of the Maze of Shadows where there was a winding road through the center with pits on either side with a massive crystal jutting up from one of the pits. It seemed flat enough in several locations to stand on it, making it seem as if someone once upon a time did something that involved that crystal. I don't know why, but it seemed so...so..._pure_.

Infront of me there was Ein, the brunette Angel. To his sides were four sprites, most likely his followers or something. _How come Ein is traveling with only girls? Is he some kind of pervert?_ I asked myself. It was true in the fact that he was traveling with mostly girls. Even his Familiar, Rose, was a girl, though Ein would argue against his Familiar counting had I asked him.

All five of them brandished their weapons as I spoke. The Arc said something about revenge as she tightened her grip on her scythe, which seemed to be the size of her and then some. She had short, blue hair, and was mostly dressed in blue and black garments. On her back were wings that resembled that of a bat: small, black, and leathery. It was a wonder how those wings could support her _and _her scythe at the same time. She seemed roughly in her late teens-early twenties. Did I mention she had a hat with cat ears on it?

A red haired older girl, most likely a witch or some kind of spellcaster, was next to the Arc. She wore a red witch's dress that was pretty long, and sported a black, pointy hat on her head. She had her hand on a staff, mostly carved of wood with a red gemstone imbedded inside it. She appeared to be in her early-to-mid twenties.

A religious fencer was also near Ein. She had green hair and wore a green dress with white lacing on the edges. She had one of her hands on the hilt of her rapier. The long, slender blade was adorned with a green gemstone in the center of the hilt, with pieces of metal extending from that gemstone, and glimmered in light. She also had a silver Rosary around her neck. She appeared in her late teens and was the only one who wasn't actually tense about me showing up, meaning either she was very brave or very stupid.

Next to the fencer was a happy-go-lucky archer who only appeared to be the size of about four feet, and gave off the appearance of a child. However, she sported a massive bow, and that can only mean that either she is really stupid to use such a bow or a sureshot archer. She had yellow hear that was put in a double-ponytail, one of each side of her head. She also wore mostly black clothing that was covered by a yellow tunic of sorts. She appeared to be no more than a small child, but if I had to guess, she's probably in her mid teens.

And, of course, Rose. Rose, Ein's flying black cat Familiar, was clining to Ein's shoulder. Apparently she was scared half to death of me showing up, which I can see why since she can't fight.

"Malice! Where is Hector and why do you continue to follow him? Can't you see? You're being betrayed! Used!" Ein spat at me while brandishing his Diviner, Einherjar, which was strapped to his back.

Slowly I walked around Ein and his band, placing myself in his path, while drawing my own Diviner, Skadi.

Skadi was a blue axe Diviner, and was modeled after Longinus, the first Diviner. Ein's Diviner, Einherjar, was modeled after Fanelia, a Diviner that has tremendous power, but has been lost to the powers of time. No one knows the location of either Diviner.

I pointed Skadi behind me, in the direction of the winding path through the center of the room. " He is that way. I continue to follow him because he is following the will of the Gods, and it is my duty to serve the Gods. Just like it is yours, but you have strayed from your duty, and now have become a pawn of the Sprites. Why can't you see, Ein? You're the one being betrayed!" I returned to him, shooting him a cold glare while speaking.

" Malice, I will make this short. Move and I won't kill you." Ein paused, looking over his shoulder to see the witch restraining the Arc, who obviously wanted to kill me here and now. " I can't say the same for Serene, however." he added.

I chuckled, and went into a stance for battle. " Too bad, Ein! I will have to kill all of you here and now, as the will of the Gods commands me to do so!" _This was going to be veeeery fun._ I told myself.

" Fine then! Have it your way!" Ein returned. He then turned to his companions. " I ask of you all to stay out of this. I must not make Ledah's sacrifice go to waste." All of his group nodded, although Serene, the Arc, seemed very reluctant to obey.

He then turned back to me, and went into a battle stance as well.

We both just stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first the first move. Suddenly, he ran at me, yelling some kind of battle cry that sounded like " Euuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaa!" or something.

The battle had begun.

He reached me and swung his sword at me. Instinctivly, I blocked it with Skadi, then swung it in a horizontal arc, causing Ein to jump backwards, giving us some distance. I then flew straight at him and brought Skadi down from above at him. He jumped to the side and continued to throw sword swipes at me. I evaded most of them, but one swipe somehow got me over the previous wound Einherjar had left me on my right arm, causing me to yelp out in pain. I flew backwards after that, dodging a relentless assault of sword attacks.

As much as I wanted to stop and tend to my wound, battle doesn't work that way.

I flew forward and just before reaching him I veered to the side, swinging Skadi in another horizontal arc, hitting Ein with the side of my blue axe, causing him to shoot backwards a few feet. I then shot forward at him, spinning Skadi above me, and brought it down in a diagonal arc upon Ein.

Ein was just recovering from the blow Skadi had left him and was on his knees, so when Skadi came down upon him again he had little time to react. He jumped to the side and did a roll, stopping at the edge of the path. Had he gone any further, he would have fallen into the pit.

I then flew at him once more, bringing Skadi down vertically at him, causing him to jump backwards. However, he somehow managed to jump far enough to land on the massive crystal. I stood at the edge of the pit and stared at him as he adjusted himself. I then felt a warm feeling inside the hand I was holding Skadi with.

I looked at Skadi, and to my bewilderment it was glowing, radiating warm light. I then looked back up to Ein to see his Diviner was resonating as well. It seemed as if our Diviners were giving us extra powers or something; as if they wanted us to continue fighting.

I spun Skadi for a brief moment before jumping out over the pit and flying straight at Ein, Skadi following closely behind in my hands. When I reached him, I spun, swinging Skadi in a horizontal arc several times, connecting with Einherjar. After each connection, our Diviners emitted small balls of light; harmless balls of light.

I landed on the crystal beside him and turned to see Ein rushing at me, swinging his sword for a little bit before settling on which way to attack me. I had become aware of something by then. Ein seemed _faster_ than before our Diviners resonated. I jumped backwards, and then swing Skadi as he swung Einherjar. The two Diviners danced with each other as we swung our weapons at each other. It dawned on me then that Ein didn't seem faster, he _was _faster, and that showed in his attacks, as they came much more swift. It was easier for me to block and counterattack though, so maybe I got powered up as well.

Ein continued to push me backwards and upwards on the crystal; his attacks came too frequent for me to stand my ground in one spot. Each time he swung, I blocked and counterattacked, and of course, the Diviners were releasing orbs of light still. Eventually, I reached a place where I couldn't go any higher, and was pressed against the edge of the crystal. Ein thrusted his Diviner at me. I said some Angelic prayer in my mind as I ran forward directly at Einherjar, placed one foot on it as it was thrusted, and flipped myself over Ein. As I was in the air, I brought Skadi down on Ein using the side of Skadi, and then landed a few feet away from Ein.

The blow from Skadi caused Ein to stumble backwards, straight into the point of Skadi, which pierced him automatically. I thrusted it forward some, causing Skadi to go right through him and out the other side. I then pulled Skadi out from behind Ein and watched as blood spattered everywhere. I swung Skadi in an arc to my side to clean it of blood that it had obtained in the attack.

How Ein could fight with such a wound was beyond me. Either way, Ein was **_pissed_**. He spun around, swinging Einherjar at a mad speed, causing me to jump backwards several times. Each time Ein swung, I dodged, and Einherjar would fly into the crystal, leaving a dent in it. Eventually I just jumped off the Crystal and flew back to the pathway. Turning around, I saw Ein jump off the crystal and shot straight at me with Einherjar poised. I lept backwards as Ein descended upon the ground where I once was. Einherjar connected with the ground, causing the ground to actually _crack_.

I would admit at this point that I was in awe.

Ein darted at me at that point and swung his sword once horizontally with maddening speed. I blocked it, but somehow the force of the attack caused me to go flying to the side. When I had regained control of myself again, I looked at Ein, who was now on the other side of the path, with his group behind him. However, I noticed that Ein wasn't advancing, but instead channeling the energy of his Diviner. I could only assume one thing, and that was that he was about to execute his Overdrive.

Instinctivly, I prepared mine.

" This is the will of the Gods! **_Disaresta!_**" Ein shouted as he ran towards me.

" Despair! Your soul is as good as mine! **_Trie Noir!_**" I shouted back as I darted at him.

When we met, we unleashed our attacks, causing a cataclysmic eruption. He swung his sword seven times with incredible speed, then a greenish-white _being _shot out of his sword and went straight through me, while I swung Skadi seven times as well, then swung it upwards causing a series of ice pillars to shoot out of the ground under Ein, impaling him several times. The blow from his attack caused me to shoot backwards into the wall, blowing a hole through the wall and then some. I do not know how my attack faired on him.

Apparently Ein didn't come to see if he finished me off, but I could tell he survived the attack.

I slowly and painfully got out of the rubble I had been put in from Ein's attack and slowly walked off to find Hector.

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I managed to get to the Triple Sutra section of the Maze of Shadows, where Hector usually is. To my wonder, Ein was there also, which meant that he defeated the five Dark Progenitors. Ein and Hector were having a full-crazed battle, kind of like the one I had with Ein.

After a bit, Ein was about to finish Hector off. I couldn't; _wouldn't _let that happen, so with what strength I had left, I flew straight at Ein and barrelled him over. I think flew backwards and grabbed one of Ein's companions, which happened to be the witch.

" Hector! Take this pathetic soul and mine and do what the gods have commanded you to do!" I yelled with my last breath.

" Very well. **_Ether Burst!_**" the Magi said, then fired his Overlimit and plowed a hole right through both of us. The witch died instantly.

I layed on the ground, waiting for death to take me, when I overheard Ein and Hector talking.

" She was a fine servant. Too bad she'll never know she failed." That was Hector...

" You mean she's not a Grim Angel?" Ein had replied.

" Yes, Ein. She failed to be a Grim Angel. Failed the test. I forged her a Diviner in secrecy and had her believe she was a Grim Angel."

" You betrayed her! She wasn't following the will of the Gods, she was only following the will of a selfish Magi! How inhumane must you get, Hector!"

A failure...? Not a Grim Angel...? ...I was betrayed...?

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Ending Note: Okay, I know that Malice was out of character through almost the whole thing. I did that intentionally, and I'll explain why in future chapters.

Please review. All kind of criticism will be taken, as long as you don't go "zomg it suxxored you sux at riting stop naoooo". Seriously, if you're going to tell me I suck at writing, tell me why and how I can improve.


	2. Darkness

Hooray, three reviews. That's one review per week! For those of you who actually do read this story, I apologize for any misconception this story has brought about, and I'm especially sorry for taking so god damn long to update. It's not as bad as some people though XD

Also, I noticed two ( I think) mistakes in my own writing. And that doesn't count what Slash pointed out on the day I posted this. You all make lazy editors XD

Disclaimer: Same as Chapter One, I do not own Riviera: The Promised Land, its storyline, characters, items, or anything. I do own a copy of the game though, and it's a good game mind you.

Edit: Made some very last minute changes, and fixed some stuff.

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Chapter Two: Darkness

The depths of darkness brought by death. It wasn't the standard darkness like when you turn out a light at night. It had no warmth to it; no kind of familiarity. It was an empty kind of darkness, but it would call to you. Call you to come; let it devour you whole. There was no escape from the darkness.

Seeping into the darkness. Nothing in life can prepare you for such an event. An event so awkward; so _unrealistic_ that it can't be described in normal wordage. It was painful, but full of peace. The end and beginning at once. Soothing torment. It made no sense, but it didn't need to make sense. It was the end, and beginning, of me.

The soul. A key ingrediant to life. Some say that when you die your soul is purified and reused. Others say your soul just vanishes. And even others say that they roam around their death sites until they are forgiven or taken. None of these are right, but none of these are wrong. For they are all absolute.

The absolute end. A desolate form of existance. A dark passage, and the light at the end. The decision made. I had signed my fate when I died.

From my death there was nothing. No one felt bad, no one cared. No one suffered from my death.

Death had passed.

Awakening.

I somehow found myself in a void. A dimension of sorts. A place that wasn't accessable. A passage that led almost nowhere. A one-way road, and at the end of it was a light.

From where I was, I could only barely see the light. A guide through the darkness. What purpous it served I did not know, but it called me, and I went to it.

For days upon days it seemed that I walked to the light. The road never changed; no obstacles blocked my passage. However, as I walked, the light never got closer. It was as if it was moving from me; avoiding me.

Never feeling tired, hungry, or devoid of some necessity required for life, I marched on ahead. My destination was unknown, my origin was painful, and my existance was futile.

Suddenly, I reached the end. The light was before me, darkness behind me, and abyss on both sides. Taking one step into the light, the world suddenly lit up once more. I was temporarily blinded from the sudden appearance of color. When I recovered, I found myself in an arena, a coliseum of sorts.

" Welcome, my child..." a voice with no origin spoke out.

_What in the hell is this place, and where did that voice come from?_ I thought inside my head.

" You, Merithu, are in Valhalla..." the voice spoke out again.

_How th- wait...you can read my thoughts?_

" Yes, Merithu..."

_So, what are you then? And how the hell do you know that name!_

" No need to get angry, Merithu...I am the start of life. I am the end of life...I am the creator..."

_That leaves my unanswered question then._

" Incorrect, Merithu...I created you. Would it only be logical to know your true name...?"

_...Well...You got a point there...So why am I here, then?_

" Tell me, Merithu...Do you know what Valhalla is for?"

_Er...Doesn't it have to deal with fighting to be reborn in a new life or something?_

" Does that answer your question...?"

_...God damnit, stop avoiding my questions._

" Either way, tell me this, Merithu...How does the concept of a new life appeal to you?"

_Well...if I had a new life...I guess...I could start over. I'd let the gods decide from there._

" Would you like a second chance at life, Merithu...?"

_...Why are you asking this? _By this time, I was starting to get really annoyed at all these questions. When would something happen?

" If you are going to act like that, then I guess I won't let you have a chance at it, Merithu..."

_God damnit! Okay, fine. Just explain already, because this is very annoying._

" Very well. Basically, I am going to give you a chance to prove your worth, Merithu...If I find you worthy, I shall grant you new life..."

_...Is this within the gods' juristriction?_

" Do you need to know the answer to that, Merithu...?"

_Did you just answer a question with a rhetorical question?_

" Did you just answer a rhetorical question with a rhetorical question, Merithu...?"

_Can we just get on with this already?_

" Have you no respect for who I am, Merithu...? I made you, god damnit!" This creator person or whatnot, I could tell was getting quite frusterated. Looking back, I could tell it was worth being a pain in the ass.

_Just...shut up and lets get this over with already._

" Fine. "

Suddenly, in a great flash, a man appeared before me, bearing a giant waraxe. He appeared quite amused based on what he saw, and probably thought he had it easy.

" So, this wench is the one I must fight, eh? Tough luck for one as fragile as you, missy." the man said with a grin. He then spun his waraxe a few times, then ran straight at me, bringing his massive weapon down in a giant vertical arc. Instinctively, but unprepared, I jumped to the side, threw my hand at the ground and used it to shoot myself into the air spinning. During this midair vault I drew Skadi which for one reason or another was at my side.

Landing atop a pillar, I spoke back to the man. " I may be a 'wench' but I sure as hell ain't fragile!"

Then, I jumped into the air and shot down at him using my wings to pick up speed. I raised Skadi and pointed it at him while shooting downwards at him. The man for a second freaked out then ran to the side, barely evading my strike, and Skadi was then lodged into the ground. The force from the attack left a slight crator in the ground.

Seeing the man bring his waraxe into the air, I tightened my grip on Skadi and tried to move out of the way, but something held me back. Looking down at my axe, I noticed it was literally stuck in the ground. Without much time to react, I then jumped the opposite way, just barely avoiding any critical wound as the waraxe skimmed my foot. He then swung his waraxe to the side at me, and I brought Skadi's hilt up to block it. The blow was halted but the force kept going, and I could feel it try to shoot me back a few feet.

Keeping my grip on Skadi, I would either dodge or block each of his attacks. During this assault, I would continue to try to pull Skadi out. Suddenly, he lifted his axe up in the air and it radiated with power. He then swung it down in a vicious arc. Not thinking, I let go of Skadi and literally ran like hell as the waraxe connected with the ground.

The impact created a mini-explosion, causing me to not only lose my balance but rocket backwards about fifteen feet. This explosion left a huge cloud of dust where he and Skadi was. Because of this, I did not know where he was, or if my blue false-Diviner survived the impact. My troubles were more or less soon solved as my axe shot out of the cloud and flew straight at me.

I jumped up and ran straight at my own weapon, and as it almost seemed as if I connected with its shimmering point, I spun to the side slightly to avoid it completely, and in midspin I grapped the hilt, bringing my weapon back under my control.

Just as the dust was settling, the man shot out of the dust, swinging his waraxe quite wildly, heading right at me. I then ran at him as well, and just as he was about to swing at me, I jumped right over him. However, he seemed to predict this somehow, and while I was above him, he turned around and swung his axe vertically from the ground, using the blunt side. Not prepared for this, I was hit with the waraxe, and was sent flying backwards. During flight, a loud pop shot out of nowhere, and a great pain appeared inside me. From the sound and pain, I assumed that he had broken a rib or something. I then connected with a wall.

Slowly getting up, still in pain, I realized that Skadi was missing. I looked out into the path I had taken before I connected to the wall, and about fifteen feet away from me was Skadi. However, the man was in my way, so I could not make for my weapon. The man was charging straight at me, swinging his axe some more. When he reached me, he brought it down vertically once more, but I did not make an effort to dodge it. I easily sidestepped to avoid it, and brought one of my feet down onto it.

The man appeared surprised at this.

" Turn the enemy's weapon into your own! **Last Resort! Weapon Thievary! **" I suddenly shouted, using two skills at the same time.

With much dexterity, I brought my other foot underneath the handle of the axe, kicked it up into the air, then brought my first foot in an awkward arc and kicked the man in the jaw, sending him into the air a few feet. The waraxe that I knocked into the air started to fall at this point, and I caught it as the man started to fall down.

" With fury, the axe shall become the blizzard of destruction! **_Absolute Zero!_**"

I then shot straight at my opponent and brought the axe from above down onto him as he fell, impaling him with the sharp edge. I then brought it out, spun around, then brought the axe from below upwards into him, knocking him back into the air. Then, I jumped into the air after him, and swung the axe several times, attacking from all directions almost. I then landed, spun the waraxe behind me several times, and then threw it, still spinning, at the man.

It shot straight through him. Icicles then formed out of thin air and impaled him from all directions, with each impalement his inner body temperature fell. After the ice barrage, he was pretty much frozen solid, and the waraxe flew through him once more, this time from behind, as it returned to me. The impact from the waraxe shattered the man, and I caught the waraxe.

" The ice has assaulted his soul..." I said, throwing the axe to the side. Almost immediately, I then stumbled downward awkwardly, settling myself into sitting against a wall. Severly worn out and in great pain, I was close to fleeting consciousness.

" Well done, Merithu..." the voice had returned...Just my luck...

_God...damnit...are we done yet?_

" Yes, Merithu...I find you worthy."

Slowly, I forced myself to stand up.

_Then...let's get this...done already._

" Very well, Merithu..."

A bolt shot down from the sky, creating a blinding light, once again blinding me temporarily. When I could see once more, I could not help but stare in awe. In front of me was some kind of being, shrouded in light of a silver tone. The being more or less had the appearance of a small girl, but the aura it gave off signaled that wasn't the truth.

" I wish you the best of luck, Merithu..." the being said. Suddenly, the being thrusted its hand into my chest, causing great anguish. It then tore at my heart for a moment, then seemed to settle. It then pushed its hand into my heard, and soon after the entire being transferred itself into my heart. I felt pain, but also warmth and pleasure of sorts. It was a weird feeling; such as when you fly for the first time. You fear falling, but you get such freedom out of it.

The next thing I knew, I was standing at the entrence to the Maze of Shadows, which for some reason was collapsing. I did not fear the collapsing castle of darkness, but I did not stand around and do nothing either. I proceeded to work my way into the Heaven's Gate.

All pain in my mind was replaced with one name.

_Ymir..._

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Okay, about damn time I got this thing done. Trust me when I say this, this chapter was hell to write, and I even started over on it twice.

A few things I want to clear up.

Valhalla, in Norse Mythology, is where a warrior goes when they die. There, they face other warriors in one on one battles. The winner of that battle is then granted to go onto the next life, in a reborned state. So in theory, they live a new live, starting as a small infant once more.

Merithu happens to be a name I made up for Malice. The concept behind it is that since Ein's name in the Japanese Riviera is Ecthel, and that most people use it as a formal name, why doesn't Malice or Ledah have another, more formal name? I happened to make one for Malice, and that name is Merithu.

Lastly, Ymir happens to be the first living being in Norse Mythology. It ( I say it because in Norse Mythology Ymir is a hermaphrodite XD) more or less started the first civilization in the World known as Yggdrasil, when you think about it, and so I dubbed it The Creator, which does seem to fit.

As always, review please :D


	3. Travel

Well, after almost a month of putting this off, I finally got around to writing this thing. Do note that I have a few reasons why this was put off though.

...What? I like Phantom Brave!

But seriously, Phantom Brave was only recently. Before that, I had absolutely no inspiration to write this thing, well, until now. So without further wait, I present you all Chapter Three.

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

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Chapter Three: Travel

_Sadness._

_What the hell is it doing inside me?_

_Why am I sad about all that has happened before?_

_Did the fall of Hector and his bastardly ambitions wound me to such an extent?_

_No, that isn't the case._

_Then what is?_

_Is it the fact that I've lived most of my life following the so called "will" of the Gods, just to figure out at the last minute that I was being led astray? _

_No, that isn't it either._

_Perhaps it is just the fact Hector decided to kill me. To him, I was just an expendable vassal. Did that not sit over with me? _

_If Hector was the cause of this suffering depression, then why did it affect me when Hector is dead? Did he unexplainedly survive his clash with Ein and his band?_

_No, that wouldn't happen either, since the Maze of Shadows is collapsing. Hector once told me the Maze of Shadows stays intact by his power, and therefore since it is collapsing he can't be alive. _

_But what about that thing he was wanting me to collect souls for? Seth, I think he called it? Did he not summon that...thing...after he killed me and that witch of scarlet? _

_I'm certain he did; Hector wasn't one to have access to such an awesome power and not use it. That much I did know. So I take it Hector really did fall then. _

_Well Ein, I have to hand it to you on this one. You weren't much of a fighter back in Asgard; as a matter of fact you detested such useless violence. But seeing as how you took down countless demons, Hector, Seth, Ledah, and even me, you've become quite powerful._

_So now what? Do I press onwards to Riviera?_

Flying through the chasms of the Heaven's Gate, I silently smacked my forehead.

_What kind of question was that, Malice? What the hell are you thinking?_

_Of course I will head to Riviera. With so much sin I have commited before my first death, it would only be right if I start to work on fighting back and eventually conquering those inner demons of mine. _

_But will Ein and his group see me as a new person?_

_Or will they see me as the once selfless slaughtering bitch I used to be; the one who gave up her "future" to serve under the bastard Magus?_

_Only time will tell._

_First thing's first though, time to get out of this place._

Bringing myself out of my throughts and back into reality, I slowed my flying down to a halt and landed on a rock, only suspended in the air by a chain that pierced straight through it. Without much throught, I then took a look around, getting whatever bearings I could to see if I could judge an exact location from the gate that seperates Asgard from Riviera.

Unfortunately, I could not. Shortly after stopping, I heard a violently loud crack from above me, and several small pieces of rock fell lightly onto my shoulder. Instinctively, I looked up, and to my bewilderment, almost came face to face with a ginourmous rock . Screaming suddenly out of surprise, I literally forced myself to shoot backwards a few feet, and through some miracle, I happened to land on another piece of rock just as the first rock was impaled by the falling piece of well...rock, taking it entirely out, and it even went as far as kept falling through several more rocks before coming to a stop.

I sighed, recovering from the shock, and let my guard down to catch a breath.

Big mistake.

Shortly after the rock fell onto the rock I was previously on, the chain that was suspending the rock that plummetted downwards fell down too, taking out several miles of stone, which in turn causing more of the Gate to get destroyed, and even after that, more of the Gate was collapsing.

_What the hell is going on?_ I thought to myself.

Given the fact that a giant black chain was about to fall down on me, I dove to the side, which led into the path of an oncoming chunk of stone. Without much time to react, I dove forward, barely escaping that stone. Struggling against the now collapsing area, I managed to get my footing well enough to proceed to run through the area while dodging anything that fell into my path. However, the collapsation was never far behind; it was as if it was literally trying to kill me.

Dodging left and right, I continued to press on, despite anything that happened to plummet. However, I wasn't exactly counting on what managed to cross my path at one point in this perilous Gate.

" It would appear that Ein, Ledah, and I seemed to have forgotten a few demons during our passages through here..." I meekly said to myself, recalling when I passed through here.

With the collapsation on one side and demons on the other, I had a few options. Kill, or be killed, or be crushed. Not giving it much thought, I pulled Skadi out from behind my back ( Where else would I keep it?) and proceeded to dart forward these leftover hordes of demons, slashing left and right with my blue axe, cleaving a path for me to travel through.

It just wasn't enough. They seemed to be appearing to prevent my passage more swift than I could carve a pathway through. It appeared that I was struggling to keep myself from being overwhelmed by such odds, let alone move on.

Then it hit me.

_What the hell am I doing trying to fight my way through this horde? Why don't I just fly, damnit?_

Remembering I could fly, I then spun around a few times to make enough room to vault myself into the air.

However, that didn't quite work...

They kept flooding at me faster than I could make enough room to get out of here, which was bad. Suddenly, a huge stone landed right next to me, crushing some unaware demons in the process. Then it hit me once more; I had forgotten about Heaven's Gate collapsing.

How much more did I forget in the heat of battle?

For a brief second, I looked behind me to see exactly how much was left in destruction's wake. Apparently, not much, as suddenly rocks proceeded to crush demons as they plummetted downwards. At one point, even a large chain crushed countless demons, leaving enough of a pathway to proceed onward. Without any hesitation, I shot forward, jumped into the air, and took flight.

If there had ever been a moment where I was thinking the Gods were watching over me, it was then.

Looking down at the destruction that was happening, I saw hundreds upon hundreds of demons gettling flattened by debris, and thousands more remaining.

_We didn't miss THAT many demons on our passages through here..._ I thought, futily trying to count the numbers of waves upon waves of demons. _All this has to be new! But WHERE did they come from!_

Thinking my troubles at the moment were over, I maintained my height and just kept myself aflight in one location, watching the demons getting flattened. I slightly chuckled to myself, then instantly stopped and pondered what the hell that was implying.

_Why am I laughing at such a pitiful sight? Is it that amusing? Have I fallen so far as to laugh at someone else's demise, despite the fact that they're demons? What have I become?_

Suddenly, something caught my eye to the very far left, and I flew backwards slightly, just barely evading some kind of fiery breath that could have stolen my life. I looked for the breath's origin, and unfortunately, I saw a batallion of wyrms, if that's what you want to call them, heading at me.

" Well, this sucks." I blatantly said aloud as I prepared myself for battle once more.

Suddenly, I shot forward at the wyrms, swinging Skadi violently. I soon connected with one wyrm, in which swinging Skadi at a blindingly fast speed, I managed to slice both of his wings off, and he slowly started to fall out of the sky. However, I had other plans for him.

Without hesitation or regard to what I was doing, I suddenly threw Skadi at another wyrm, then, while Skadi was flying at the wyrm, I flew down and grabbed the first wyrm by the tail, and swiftly spun him around a few times before throwing him at a third wyrm. That third wyrm was then knocked backwards into the second wyrm, and before either of them knew what was happening, I had already pulled Skadi out of the now impaled second wyrm and was creating "scale carvings" out of them. When I was done, I violently spun around, and brought the flat side of my Diviner into the third wyrm, who in turn connected with the second wyrm, sending them both flying into the horde of demons below, where they were smushed by continuing falling debris.

Without warning, I was then assaulted by three wyrms at once, each breathing their fiery breath at me. They had somehow learned to coordinate their attacks, so it became very difficult to dodge them. Up and down we all flew, until somehow one of them released a fiery stream of phosphate in my direction. Realizing this, I then flew as fast as I could out of the way of this breath, and before I had noticed anything else, a piercing cry of anguish erupted from behind me. Flying around in a semicircle to see what had happened, my eyes met with a stir-fried wyrm, who I'm assuming had been cooked by the previous wyrm's fiery breath.

At this point, I was about to laugh hysterically, as _rarely_ did I see something as amusing as a wyrm getting fried by another wyrm. However, I prevented myself from letting my guard down and

proceeded back into combat.

Counting the remaining wyrms, it would appear that we were down to three: the two other wyrms who had just previously assaulted me, and the leader of the wyrms, a massive gold wyrm with occasional silver scales. From his mouth erupted an awesome and deadly stream of lightning, which could signify that this wyrm was not to be taken lightly.

With great haste, I shot straight at one of the remaining wyrms and drove Skadi straight through him, then pulled it out in such a way that it rocketed him down into the bottomless chasms amongst the Gate. Turning around swiftly, I swung Skadi in a violent horizontal arc, cleaving the other wyrm who just so happened to be conveniantly located right behind me in half. I then looked up at the last wyrm.

And damn, I was screwed over pretty hard.

Before I could do anything about it, I had been hit with one of its breaths, fired at such a velocity that when it connected with me, it shot me straight at the earth. I shot through the earth actually, and I almost had lost my life there, as the speed I kept falling at was almost far too fast for me to correct anything. However, due to some unknown instinct, I somehow brought myself back into control and landed on a small piece of land.

I glared up at the wyrm with much hatred at that point. And then I noticed it.

Unknown until that point, when the breath connected with me, I had somehow become magnetically charged with a very weird force; it was weird enough to screw around with the threads of my clothing for a bit, which was really bizarre.

Slowly raising Skadi at my side, I brought it up near my head and pointed it at the wyrm. " This time, you're dead!" I screamed at the wyrm. Suddenly, I shot straight at him with no wind resistance, yet I never moved Skadi from beside my head; it stayed there, pointing at the wyrm.

The wyrm, without hesitation, shot a series of bolts of lighting at me, but through unknown reasons, they didn't prevent me. I just somehow rocketed through them, each time gathering more power taken from the bolts. Shortly after, I then shot straight through the wyrm, and stopped myself behind him. Before he had any time to realize what pain he was in, I spun around at such a blazing speed and brought Skadi upon him, causing him to rocket into a large chunk of land.

Without letting up this relentless assault, I shot straight at him once more, but stopped right before hitting him, then swung Skadi at a crazy speed several times, each time hitting him with such power, causing him to drive further into the earth. After a few hits at such a high speed, Skadi had somehow travelled at such a speed where it caught on fire for a few seconds. Using this little time I was granted with a different element, I brought Skadi high into the air, then arched it vertically down, connecting with not only the wyrm, but the entire chunk of land it was stuck in, completely destroying the land and causing the wyrm to rocket down.

" Ice and Fire, fuse to become the weapon of destruction! **_Flare of Desolation!_**" Still charged with electricity and magnetism, with my weapon being on fire, and my natural affinity to ice, you could say that basically I had a tri-elemental attack.

Without any hesitation, I rocketed down at the wyrm at such a speed that I left a trail behind me for a few seconds. I then brought the burning Diviner up into the wyrm, causing him to rocket back upwards. Giving chase, I swung Skadi into him several times, each time creating a small explosion. After several explosions, I brought Skadi deeply into the wyrm, and brought him around a few times. With each passing second, I was channeling all sorts of destructive elements into this electric demon, until finally I flung him off of my axe at such a speed he rocketed far off into the distance. And yet, the pain did not stop there.

Due to a rather unnoticed Maze of Shadows until now, the wyrm suffered even more pain as it rocketed straight into the still collapsing dark castle. When it connected with it, it finally created a massive explosion of ice, completely destroying the wyrm, the Maze of Shadows, and basically the land it was on. With one final anguished cry, the wyrm ceased to exist.

Not waiting any longer, I landed next to the exit of the Gate and stayed still for a few seconds. Then suddenly, some kind of erupting sound caught my attention, causing me to turn around. Where the Maze of Shadows had been, there was now a large dark explosion. When it had finished, demons of all sorts began to pour out from that particular location.

_What the hell?_ I thought to myself, _This surely isn't good._

Keeping that in mind, I hastely passed through the Gate, and proceeded onto Rivierian soil.

_I've got to find Ein and notify him of this!_

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Well, there you have it. Hope I didn't make anyone angry with the wait, and as always, please read and review. I appreciate all of you who decided to put up with my lack of updates, and I am deeply thankful for that.


	4. In Search of Ein

Ah yes, here we are at Chapter Four. My excuse this time? Blame Weyard.

...Golden Sun, people?

I seriously do love Golden Sun to death, for reasons most people love their favorite games. (As Kira would know, being since I already explained that one to him.)

Anyways, long story short, I started this chapter two nights ago, then lost inspiration a page in. This chapter was extremely difficult for me to write, so I apologize if its crappy. The main reason for this crappiness is that there actually is no random three-page battle in this chapter.

Yep, you heard me right, no battle.

This chapter, I was mostly trying to see how much I could actually be in describing stuff, and this also marks my first attempt at trying to do a chapter that doesn't have action, but instead detail and conversation. So, give me your input on what you think of it, like always!

Oh, I also gave up on short chapter titles; I felt like I couldn't get the concept I wanted into a one or two word title.

Okay, I'll stop now before the Author's notes becomes half a page.

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

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Chapter Four: In Search of Ein

" Now I know I was never good at planning ahead," I spoke to myself in stupidity, " But this is plain stupid. How the hell am I supposed to find Ein if I don't even know where he normally is? I don't even know where I am!"

Riviera was a far different land than Asgard, apparently. I wonder why I didn't notice it while I was at that castle place, slaying the Arcs. The land was full of greenary that crumpled beneath your feet, unlike that of which in Asgard. Then again, Asgard didn't really have vegitation. All we had there were fruit trees, but we had rows of rows of orchards of them. Nothing like this green floor that resides here. I wonder what the sprites call it? I'll have to ask someday.

Riviera didn't appear to be all that colonized, either. For miles and miles all I could see were vegitation, some tall, some short, some that reached higher than the eye could see from the ground. But, above all that resided a tree that pierced the heavens. It almost appeared as if it was guarding Riviera; its protector.

_Yggdrasil..._

That tree marked several turning points in Hector's plans. Ledah died. Ein had had enough. I killed an Angel. The Aquarios were shattered, and Ursula left defenseless. Somehow, all of this spelt Hector's demise.

Ein's resolve to finish that dark period of both Riviera and Asgard's histories was renewed when Ledah was slain by my hands. Hector had lost a valuable tool in his plan, and deep inside, while I would never admit it to anyone, I began to have doubts about what I was doing. _Was this the right path? What exactly is this for? What the hell is becoming of me? _The more I thought about it, the more the doubts grew, and they led to something far worse.

_Fear._

I began to fear the outcome of my countless slaughtering, and more and more I began to unravel the truth behind Hector's plot. However, I didn't separate fact from myth fast enough to ensure what was the truth and what were lies, and in the end I sacrificed myself for the selfish cause of a selfish Magus.

I still don't understand what drove me to such a ridiculous act, anyways. Perhaps my judgement was clouded with anger and pain that maybe all I wanted was revenge for losing twice to Ein. Maybe I acted purely on instinct. Maybe I was being controlled my Hector's dark magic, but I highly doubt that. But, being since he was a Magus, you couldn't really doubt anything with him. I don't think I'd ever really figure it out.

However, being alive once again and now knowing my true purpous, I felt as if a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Before, I was clouded with uncertainty, only being guided by what I was told to do. Now, I had a choice in my fate, and I had made up my mind already.

_Atonement._

Atoning for my misguided carnage was first on the list. Even if I was being led astray by Hector's demonic plans, I still took responsibility for my actions. He may have robbed me of my 'future', but I still had free will, right? Knowing I had the ability to do otherwise, and yet did what I was told to do, I had to accept the cost for all the lives I've destroyed, the souls taken, and every single piece of chaos I caused.

But how to go about it? I wouldn't really know. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone would want me dead to repent for my actions, but what about those who had other methods of forgiveness? I couldn't take my own life to please some while leaving others grieving for their lost ones.

_This is going to be harder than I originally thought..._ I thought to myself.

Removing myself from my world of thoughts, I simply placed myself back into reality and gazed at whatever path I could make out before me. And slowly, I began to move ahead. Taking flight with my massive black angelic wings, I set off in a random direction.

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After what seemed like hours of flight, I dropped down to the ground to let my wings rest and proceeded to walk in the same direction. After each passing step, I would continue to hear the slight crunching sound of this leafy follage that covered the ground, and the more I heard it, the more it baffled me.

Suddenly, I stopped. The sounds of moving water drifted into my ears, although faint as it was. Now stepping in the direction of the aquatic sound, it would slowly but surely get louder.

After several minutes of walking, I came across the source of the sound: a channel of water, a river of sorts if you want to call it that. And while staring at this aquatic liquid thing, I began to think to myself.

_Hmm...A river. I wonder..._

I silently scratched my head as I began to ponder some things. What use could this river provide me? Could I follow it to lead me somewhere?

Then I began to ask myself something that could end up being more important.

When exactly was the last time I _bathed_?

With that question floating around in my head, taking a bath in the river didn't seem like all that bad of an idea, simply because I probably reeked of death, blood, and other foul odors. And yet, something didn't feel quite right... How exactly would I go about taking a bath in the river _if_ I did it? Would I just declothe myself here and get in, despite the fact that someone could be watching?

No, I would be more cautious than that.

Silently, I began to scope out my surroundings that happened to be around the river, taking special precautions to make sure no one was in the vicinity. Once I was certain no one was there, I walked over to the edge of the river and slowly reached behind me for Skadi. I wrapped one of my hands around the handle of the Diviner and slowly drawwed it from my back, then, with great force, impaled it into the ground. Next came the thick blue cloak that I wore over my usual clothing; I took it off and casually folded it. Then, starting a neat pile next to the river, I placed it down.

I then slowly bent over and undid the several strings that kept my boots on my feet, and placed them next to the pile of clothes I was forming. Next came my silverish-gray combat dress (if such a thing exists, might I add), which had seen many battles for its lifetime, followed by my undergarments which I refuse to describe. Then, without waiting for much of anything, I plunged myself into the river.

Big mistake.

Now I was freezing cold.

_Good job, Malice. You are officially a moron. Angels would be ashamed of you._ I silently insulted myself while connecting my hand with my forehead.

Putting my thoughts of stupidity aside, I began to cleanse myself of the filth that I had acquired since my final battle with Ein. For awhile you could actually see the dirt and such flow down the river as I removed it from myself.

After vigorously scrubbing myself to remove the dirt and other filthy objects that had attracted themselves to me, I silently but reluctantly dunked my head under the water in an attempt to remove what dirt that had found itself in my hair. Silently, I scrubbed that too.

Slowly, I brought my head back up from the water and found myself staring at my reflection in the water. Long blonde hair, deep turquoise eyes that filled with an endless darkness, almost like sadness, a supple body that was both masculine and feminine all made up a rather attractive person. But then again, that was me. I wasn't sure as to how other people saw me...

Suddenly, I heart a sound.

Rustling leaves. _Just my luck..._ I thought to myself.

Out of caution, I brought one arm over my breasts in an attempt to cover what I could while reaching up with my free hand to grab the handle of Skadi. And then I waited.

And waited...

Suddenly, I heard voices.

" What the hell are you doing?" A feminine voice spoke, followed by a sudden quick movement that resulted in several leaves scattering.

" N-nothing! I swear it!" A male voice replied.

" Really, then why do I see you watching some woman take a bath?" A higher feminine voice spoke, followed by some kind of smacking sound.

" Ein's a pervert!" An even higher feminine voice added as a brunette flew out of the bushes straight in my general direction.

" Ow!" He exclaimed in anguish as he hit the ground a few feet away from me. Without releasing any of my tight grip on Skadi, I drew it out of the ground and merely pointed it at the brunette.

" I'd advise you get away from me. _Far_ away from me." I simply said, then paused for a minute.

" Wait..._Ein_?" I dumbfoundedly spoke, realizing that the brunette before me was really the one I had been looking for lately.

Ein simply looked up from his current spot on the ground. " What you need?" he simply said, then began to stare.

Without holding back, I brought the blunt side of my axe straight down on his head, causing it to go flying into the ground. " Pervert!"

" Ow! Why is it _always_ the head!"

" Just shut up and get away, damnit!"

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After the whole pervert situation, the six of us ( That'd be me, Ein, and his four companions who happened to be there at the time) had regathered after I had clothed myself. The women of his group made sure that I wasn't being spied on, _thank the Gods._

" So what are you-" Ein suddenly stopped. Then he spoke once again. " Wait...Malice?"

" Er...Yeah? Don't tell me you forgot me already?" I replied meekly.

" I thought you died!" Ein merely exclaimed.

Suddenly, the Arc of his group grabbed her weapon and without warning lunged at me. " Now you will die for murdering my race, bitch!"

Instinctively, I shot backwards as she brought her scythe down, and before she had a chance to re-attack, I brought my foot down on the wood of the scythe. " I am not here to waste time dealing with _you. _" I quietly said so only she could hear, while glaring at her. I then stepped back, and returned my attention to Ein.

" Ein, I am here to warn you, not to fight you."

" Warn? Warn me of what? I thought we defeated Hector and the demons vanished with that, right?"

" Yeah! Lina's confused now..." the hyper-active happy-go-lucky archer spoke from beside Ein.

" Lina has a point..." the fencer added her input into the conversation.

" We need to start preparing for what will happen. I'll explain the details on the way to wherever you intend to take me to. " I simply replied, " There is no time to lose!"

The five of them started to walk in the same direction.

" Wait a minute, " I said before walking along with them, " What is this green stuff on the ground?"

The five of them simply stopped walking, turned around, and stared at me like I was some dumb creature.

Then they bursted out laughing.

" That's -whoo- grass!" the scarlet witch replied.

Me? I seriously felt like I really was stupid. _Damn it all to hell._ I merely thought of the occasion, and simply proceeded in the direction they had started in.

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Like always, read and review please! Constructive criticism is completely adored, and IF you MUST flame me, do give logical reasoning to further prove why I suck and why I should stop writing.

But so far, no one has had to do that yet. Yay!


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